Ghost in the palace

The palace had finally fallen quiet.

After the strange discoveries surrounding the Empress, the attempted attacks, the dark magic, and the mysterious events connected to ghosts, the Emperor had stopped treating anything as coincidence.

Every detail mattered now.

Every name.

Every old record.

Every person whose history did not quite fit.

And tonight, one particular name had returned to his thoughts again and again.

Shin Gu.

The Emperor sat alone in his study, a single lamp burning beside him.

On the table lay several reports.

One concerned the Empress’s strange encounter with death.

Another described unusual movements connected to the palace.

A third contained information about the Shin Gu Kingdom.

The Emperor picked up the last report.

His eyes moved slowly across the page.

According to the old records, when the two kingdoms had established their alliance, the Shin Gu royal family had sent their daughter to marry Prince Liang.

That part was recorded clearly.

But something didn’t make sense.

The Emperor’s fingers stopped.

He remembered what Mei Lan had told them.

Shin Gu’s mother had died when Shin Gu was young.

Afterward, Shin Gu had supposedly taken responsibility for her younger brother and helped care for him.

But according to the royal genealogical records obtained through diplomatic channels—

There was no younger brother.

More importantly, there was another contradiction.

The Shin Gu King and Queen were recorded as having no son.

Only one daughter.

Shin Gu.

The Emperor’s expression became colder.

"How can both records be true?"

He placed the paper down.

The answer could be simple.

Someone could have made a mistake.

A royal scribe could have recorded the wrong information.

Or perhaps Mei Lan’s information was incomplete.

But after everything that had happened—

The Emperor no longer believed in simple explanations.

He reached for the bell.

A moment later, the door opened.

A shadow guard entered and knelt.

"Your Majesty."

The Emperor looked at him.

"I have a mission."

The spy lowered his head.

"Please command me."

"Go to the Shin Gu Kingdom."

The spy’s eyes sharpened.

The Emperor continued.

"Do not reveal your identity as one of our imperial spies. Enter as a merchant, traveler, or hired scholar—whatever gives you the greatest access."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I want their old royal records."

The spy paused.

"Genealogy?"

"Everything."

The Emperor’s voice was firm.

"Birth records. Marriage records. Funeral records. Records concerning the former Queen. Records concerning the royal children. Records from the year Shin Gu was born."

The spy nodded.

"And Prince Liang?"

"Find out exactly when the marriage arrangement was made and who represented the Shin Gu royal family."

The Emperor leaned back.

"Most importantly..."

His gaze hardened.

"Find out whether the woman currently known as Shin Gu is truly the daughter of the Shin Gu King and Queen."

The spy lowered his head.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"And find out whether there was ever a prince."

The spy hesitated.

"A prince?"

"Yes."

"If the royal family never had a son..."

The Emperor’s fingers tapped against the table.

"...then who was the younger brother Mei Lan spoke about?"

The spy understood the importance immediately.

"I will investigate."

"Quietly."

"Yes."

"No one in the Shin Gu Kingdom should know that we are investigating their princess."

The spy bowed deeply.

"I understand."

The Emperor dismissed him.

The shadow disappeared.

But the Emperor remained seated.

His thoughts continued.

---

The Same Story

The next morning, the Emperor summoned the Duke.

The Duke arrived shortly after sunrise.

When he entered the study, he immediately noticed the documents covering the table.

"You found something?"

The Emperor looked up.

"Perhaps."

The Duke approached.

The Emperor pushed one document toward him.

"Read this."

The Duke picked it up.

His eyes moved across the lines.

His expression gradually changed.

"You’re investigating Shin Gu?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

The Emperor remained silent for several seconds.

Then he said,

"Because the story doesn’t match."

The Duke frowned.

"What story?"

"The alliance."

The Emperor pointed toward the document.

"When the kingdoms formed their bond, the Shin Gu royal daughter was married to Prince Liang."

The Duke nodded.

"I know."

"That is the official history."

"Yes."

"But Mei Lan gave us another history."

The Duke’s expression became serious.

"She said Shin Gu’s mother died when she was young."

"Yes."

"And she said Shin Gu cared for her younger brother afterward."

The Duke slowly nodded.

"Yet the Shin Gu royal records say the King and Queen never had a son."

Silence.

The Duke read the document again.

Then slowly placed it down.

"If that is true..."

"The woman called Shin Gu may not be Shin Gu."

The Emperor’s eyes hardened.

"Exactly."

The Duke looked toward him.

"An impostor."

"We don’t know yet."

"But you suspect it."

"I suspect everyone until the evidence proves otherwise."

The Duke gave a grim smile.

"After what happened to the Empress, I can’t blame you."

The Emperor’s expression softened for only a moment.

His thoughts immediately went to the Empress.

The woman who had nearly died.

The woman whose soul had almost crossed beyond his reach.

The woman he had once pushed away.

Now—

He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her again.

If someone had been manipulating events around her, he would find them.

No matter how long it took.

The Duke looked again at the documents.

"What exactly will the spy investigate?"

"Birth records."

"Funeral records."

"Royal genealogy."

"Old palace servants."

"Anyone who remembers the former Queen."

The Duke nodded.

"And the prince?"

"If there truly was a younger brother, there should be records."

"Unless they were erased."

The Emperor looked directly at him.

"That is what concerns me."

---

Across the Border

Far from the imperial capital, the Shin Gu Kingdom continued its ordinary morning routine.

Markets opened.

Merchants arranged their goods.

Royal guards changed shifts.

The palace bells sounded.

Nothing appeared unusual.

Yet beneath that calm—

A secret had begun to stir.

The Emperor’s spy entered the kingdom disguised as a traveling merchant.

He carried ordinary goods.

He spoke little.

He asked ordinary questions.

And he watched.

He visited markets first.

Then inns.

Then old temples.

Then the areas surrounding the royal palace.

He did not ask directly about Shin Gu.

That would have been foolish.

Instead, he asked about history.

Old royal marriages.

Past rulers.

The former Queen.

The previous generation.

Eventually, he found an elderly bookseller.

The old man sat behind a dusty wooden counter surrounded by ancient records.

The spy casually examined several books.

Then asked,

"I’m researching royal history."

The old bookseller chuckled.

"Royal history? Why?"

"I’ve heard the Shin Gu royal family has an interesting lineage."

The old man’s smile faded slightly.

"It does."

"Wasn’t there once a prince?"

The bookseller’s fingers stopped moving.

For a moment—

He said nothing.

The spy noticed.

Then the old man replied,

"Young man..."

"You shouldn’t ask questions like that."

The spy smiled.

"Why?"

The old man looked toward the street.

Then lowered his voice.

"Because some histories are safer forgotten."

The spy’s heartbeat quickened.

"What do you mean?"

The bookseller shook his head.

"Nothing."

But the spy had already learned something.

There was a story.

And someone was afraid of it.

---

The Missing Name

That evening, the spy returned to the inn.

He opened his notebook.

He wrote:

Former Queen — deceased.

Official royal record — one daughter.

Then underneath:

Rumor of a prince.

He paused.

Then added:

Someone is deliberately avoiding discussion of him.

He stared at the words.

The mystery had become more serious.

If Shin Gu had truly been an only child—

Why did old people remember a prince?

And if she had a younger brother—

Why had the royal records erased him?

More importantly—

Who benefited from the disappearance of his name?

---

Back in the imperial palace, the Emperor received the first coded message several days later.

He read it silently.

Then his expression became grave.

The spy had not yet found proof.

But he had found something more important.

An old palace servant was willing to speak.

The servant claimed that years ago, there had been a child in the royal household whose existence was rarely discussed.

A child who was not presented publicly.

A child whose name had later disappeared from palace records.

The Emperor read the message twice.

Then folded it carefully.

"An erased prince..."

His voice was barely audible.

He looked toward the window.

The palace gardens were peaceful.

But somewhere beyond those walls—

Someone had been living under a false identity.

And if Shin Gu was indeed an impostor—

Then the question became much more dangerous.

Where was the real Shin Gu?

And who had taken her place?

The Emperor’s eyes darkened.

"This isn’t merely a family secret."

He clenched the report.

"If an impostor has been connected to the royal alliance for years..."

"...then someone has been deceiving both kingdoms."

And perhaps—

The deception had begun long before anyone suspected.

The investigation had only just begun.

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